School of Public Health

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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.

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End date: 2009Subject: search.filters.subject.Health Sciences, Human Development

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
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    Maternal mental health, education, acculturation, and social support as predictors of the parenting of Asian American and Asian immigrant mothers
    (2007-08-06) Ji, Cheng Shuang; Koblinsky, Sally A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Currently 5% of the American population is of Asian descent, and Asian families are among the fastest growing groups of immigrant families in the United States. However, the family science literature has few studies of the parenting practices of Asian American and Asian immigrant mothers, including factors that may contribute to differences in the way these parents are raising their children. To address this gap, the current study used an ecological/risk and resiliency framework to examine factors that may predict the parenting involvement, parenting practices, and parenting aggravation of mothers from Asian heritage. Specifically, this study examined the role of three potential protective factors--maternal education, acculturation, and social support--and one potential risk factor, maternal depressive symptoms, in predicting mothers' expectations for their children's academic achievement, involvement in children's home and school activities, provision of cognitive stimulation and emotional support, use of harsh discipline, and aggravation in the parenting role. This study employed secondary data analysis using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, Third Grade Database. The sample included 462 mothers of Asian descent who were born in the United States or foreign countries, and who had a third grade child. Mothers were interviewed by telephone or in person. Multiple regression analyses examined the role of maternal depression, education, acculturation, and social support in predicting the seven measures of parenting. Findings revealed that more depressive symptoms were predictive of greater parenting aggravation and lower emotional support for the child. Higher maternal education was linked to higher academic expectations and greater cognitive stimulation of the child, as well greater family involvement in school activities. One measure of acculturation, mother's use of English in the home, was associated with greater school involvement, lower use of harsh discipline, and less parenting aggravation. Finally, social support emerged as one of the strongest predictors of parenting behavior, and was related to more involvement in home and school activities, more cognitive stimulation and emotional support, and less use of harsh discipline. Implications of the findings for fostering positive parenting among mothers of Asian heritage are discussed.
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    The development of adaptive sensorimotor control in infant upright posture
    (2007-08-06) Chen, Li-Chiou; Clark, Jane E; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Postural control has been suggested as an important factor for early motor development, however, little is known about how infants acquire the ability to control their upright posture in changing environments and differing tasks. This dissertation addresses these issues in the first two years of life when infants learn to sit, stand, and walk. Three specific aims will be addressed: 1) to characterize the development of unperturbed infant upright postural sway; 2) to establish the influence of static somatosensory information on infant postural sway; and 3) to characterize the dynamic relationship between the infant's posture and sensory information. Three studies were conducted. The first study longitudinally examined infants' quiet stance and the influence of static touch in the 9 months following walk onset. With increasing walking experience, infants' upright postural sway developed toward lower frequency and slower velocity without changing the amount of sway. Additional touch information attenuated postural sway and decreased the sway velocity without affecting the frequency characteristics. We concluded that early postural development may involve increasing the use of sensory information to tune sensorimotor relationships that enhance estimating self-motion in the environment. The second study longitudinally characterized infants' unperturbed sitting postural sway and the influence of static touch. A temporary disruption of infant sitting posture was observed around walk onset. Light touch contact attenuated sitting postural sway only at this transition when infants' posture became unstable. These results suggest a sensorimotor re-calibration process in infant postural control to accommodate the newly emerging bipedal behavior of independent walking. The third study systematically examined the adaptive visual-postural dynamics, specifically the frequency- and amplitude-dependent features, in a cross-sectional sample of infants as they develop from sitting to standing and walking. The results revealed that infants as young as sitting onset were able to control their sitting posture responding to an oscillating visual stimulus as well as to re-weight the visual information as the stimulus amplitude changes. However, newly sitting infants, compared to experienced walkers, were more responsive but variable when the stimulus amplitude was small. We conclude from these three studies that infant postural development involves a complementary process between improving postural control of self-motion and an increasing sensitivity to environmental motion
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    "And Still We Rise": A Qualitative Study of Strengths, Challenges, and Needs of African American Fathers Parenting Children with Special Needs
    (2007-04-27) Bridgers, Jr, James Cullen; Randolph, Suzanne M; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    An ecological systems/risk-resiliency framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1986) was used to examine selected issues that have the potential for informing the development of culturally sensitive family interventions that focus on the strengths, challenges, and needs of African American fathers of children with special needs. This study attempted to fill gaps in the literature by examining strengths and resiliency within these fathers, and their involvement with and parenting of young children with special needs. This qualitative study included 30 African American fathers who regularly attended a male caregivers' support group at a pediatric hospital for children with special needs in Washington, DC. Four focus groups and nine face-to-face, follow-up interviews were conducted to validate and refine study themes. Verbatim transcript data were analyzed using qualitative software (N6/NUD*IST) to code and generate recurring themes. Results indicated recurring themes for strengths (redefined by the men as rewards) including: pride in children's accomplishments; increased knowledge about and ways to promote children's development; social fathering (i.e., serving in roles to complement or substitute for biological fathers); and generative fathering (i.e., making sacrifices and giving back to their children to ensure family connections). Fathers' challenges included: relationship difficulties with partners, friends, and community members; unemployment; negotiating health care systems; and dealing with issues that disproportionately affect African Americans (poverty, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS). Finally, fathers reported on concrete needs that (if satisfied) would improve the quality of their own lives and the lives of children with special needs, including the need for male caregivers' support groups; referrals/linkages to services; improved partner relationships; and culturally competent interventions, programs, and services. Several trans-system themes (i.e., themes that cut across ecological levels) were also identified, including personal development, generative fathering, social support, and advocacy. Results have implications for developing model interventions to strengthen family systems and address African American fathers' needs in parenting children with special needs. Findings were used to draw implications for future theory-based research, family policies, and culturally specific interventions to improve services to African American fathers of children with special needs and their families.
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    Gender socialization and family influences on body image and weight loss behaviors among adolescent girls: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
    (2007-04-26) Liechty, Janet Marie; Hofferth, Sandra L; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The rise in preoccupation with weight and dieting among adolescent girls in the last 30 years has produced a plethora of clinical research on body image and other correlates of disordered eating. However, there have been few longitudinal population studies investigating precursors and prevalence of actual cognitive distortion in body image among girls or its health consequences. Data on U.S. girls (ages 12-21) were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Using Symbolic Interaction and Feminist Sociocultural theories, logistic regressions were conducted to test theoretical propositions and investigate possible pathways of risk from gendered self-concept to body image distortion (BID), and from BID to risky weight loss behavior (e.g., diet pills, vomiting, and laxatives) and more common weight loss behaviors such as dieting and exercising to lose weight. Family social support, parent traditional attitudes, and background variables (race/ethnicity, age, parent education, and BMI status) were also considered. Multivariate analyses at Time 1 suggest that self-esteem is negatively associated with BID and high appearance investment is positively associated with BID. Multivariate longitudinal analyses suggest that BID at Time 1 predicts the onset of both risky weight loss behaviors and dieting by Time 2 (one year later), controlling for weight loss behavior at Time 1. High self-esteem is also associated with decreased risk of engaging in risky weight loss behaviors and decreased dieting behavior. Self-esteem has a direct effect on BID and an indirect effect on unhealthy weight loss behaviors, mediated through BID. There is no evidence that BID mediates the relationship between self-esteem and dieting to lose weight, however. Parent traditional attitudes are associated with girls' higher social passivity, but are unrelated to self-esteem and appearance investment. Results suggest that universal, developmentally appropriate prevention programs addressing body image, realistic body weight self-assessment, and self-esteem are needed, as well as targeted programs for girls at risk for BID or who already display BID, in order to curb risky and unnecessary weight loss practices. Suggestions for designing screening and prevention programs based on theory and current research are discussed.
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    Female Doctoral Students' Family and Academic Department Experiences and their Relationships to Career Choices
    (2006-12-19) McClintock-Comeaux, Marta Suzanne; Anderson, Elaine A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this study was to determine factors that may influence women's choices of whether or not to enter the pool of tenure track faculty, and for those who do pursue these positions, factors that influence their choices of the type of institution in which they will seek employment: research I universities, liberal arts universities, or community colleges. Feminist and role theories guided the conceptual model and research questions. It was hypothesized that career salience, family structure, social support at the familial and department levels, the presence of a faculty role model successfully balancing work and family, and perceived work to family and family to work conflict would influence intended career tracks of female doctoral students. The sample (n=273) included female doctoral students who were United States citizens at The University of Maryland, College Park who were married, partnered, separated, divorced, widowed, or single with children. A letter explaining the study with a link to an online survey was emailed to all students in this population and completed surveys were compiled on an internet website. This study revealed that career salience was a significant positive predictor of students' intent to pursue research I and liberal arts university tenure track positions, and for women's increased interest throughout their doctoral program in pursuing such faculty positions. Marriage was a significant negative predictor for intent to pursue research I and liberal arts positions, while age and number of children were not significant predictors. Family support was a significant positive predictor for intent to pursue liberal arts positions, and a significant negative predictor for no intent to pursue faculty positions. Department faculty support was a significant negative predictor for career choice change scores for no intent to pursue faculty positions. Advisor support was a significant positive predictor of intent to pursue liberal arts faculty positions, whereas having a faculty role model was a significant negative predictor of no intent to pursue faculty positions. Work to family and family to work conflict were not significant mediating variables in the path between predictor and dependent variables. Implications for program and policy development are discussed.
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    An Assessment of a Home-Visiting Intervention on Rural, Low-Income Children's School Readiness
    (2006-08-09) Schull, Christine Pegorraro; Anderson, Elaine A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    School readiness is an important educational success indicator for children and communities, and an equally important educational goal after research revealed that nearly half of all children are not ready for kindergarten because they have not acquired the appropriate necessary pre-literacy, and social competencies (Rimm-Kauffman, Pianta, & Cox, 2000). Rural children are at particular risk given that isolation, poverty, and limited parental educational attainment levels are associated with difficulty learning and getting ready for school (Perroncel, 2000). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a home visiting program on school readiness in a population of low-income, rural children in Garrett County, MD. Children (n=164), who entered the Healthy Families Garrett County program in 1999 or 2000 shortly after birth and completed the school readiness assessment upon kindergarten entry in 2004 or 2005, were selected along with their families. Path analyses were used to examine the relationships among frequency, intensity, and duration of the home visiting intervention, and home safety, parental knowledge of infant development, and school readiness. All variables, (1) home visiting frequency, (2) home visiting intensity, (3) home visiting duration, (4) parental knowledge of infant development, and (5) home safety were considered to be paths leading directly to the enhanced outcome of school readiness in this low-income, rural sample. Path analyses revealed that: (1) Duration of home visiting had a positive, direct effect on home safety; (2) Duration of home visiting had a positive, direct effect on parental knowledge of infant development, (3) Home safety had a positive, direct effect on school readiness in the composite and all tested subscales (personal and social, language and literacy, mathematical thinking, physical health and development); and 4) Duration has an indirect effect on school readiness through home safety. Recommendations include maintaining program duration, implementation of new parental knowledge or home environment measures, and continued emphasis on home safety and collaboration with local agencies for impacting school readiness.
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    The Use of Vision in Children's Postural Control
    (2004-07-15) Kim, Stephen June; Clark, Jane E; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of the current thesis was to characterize age-related changes in postural control with variations in the properties of a dynamic visual stimulus. In the first study, seven 4-year-olds, seven 6-year-olds, and seven adults were presented with a visual stimulus that oscillated at 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 Hz. Results showed the postural response amplitude and timing depended upon stimulus frequency and a reduction in the amplitude response variability indicated increased response precision with age. In the second study, ten 4-year-olds, ten 6-year-olds, and ten adults were presented with a visual stimulus that oscillated at 0.3 Hz, with amplitudes of 0, 2, 5, and 8 mm. The results characterized the response as a utilization of sensory information for postural control, with increased response precision with age. These findings indicate that the visuomotor coordination needed for postural control shows age-related improvements, consistent with the notion of a response tuning.
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    Economic Strain, Friends' Support, and Relationship Satisfaction in Argentinean Couples: Paths of Influence and Gender Differences
    (2005-01-20) Falconier, Mariana Karin; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Since their worst economic crisis in December 2001, Argentineans have lived in an atmosphere of great economic stress. However, the effects of this crisis on the Argentinean couples' relationships are still unknown. Based on Conger and his colleagues' family stress model, the present study examined the indirect link between economic strain and relationship satisfaction found in previous studies. It expanded on previous research in the field by (a) focusing on a culturally different population, (b) identifying each partner's level of economic strain and measuring it as a subjective experience of stress rather than an objective economic difficulty, (c) including both males' and females' variables in the same conceptual and statistical model, (d) proposing both psychological aggression and positive behaviors toward the partner as mediators between economic strain and relationship satisfaction, and (e) including perceived support from friends as a factor potentially buffering the effect of each partner's economic strain on their own relational behavior. This study used self-report data provided by 144 heterosexual couples recruited from an outpatient mental health clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003 and 2004. After controlling for partners' levels of education, relationship status, time living together, and presence of children, path analysis and post hoc analyses suggested different gender patterns. Males experienced higher economic strain than females, and only their economic strain was associated with the relational behaviors of both partners (greater psychological aggression by both partners and less positive behavior by females). However, females' relationship satisfaction seemed to be more affected by these relational behaviors than males' did. No positive buffering effects of perceived friends' support were found for either gender. Males' perceived support from friends had a negative influence on the couple as it directly increased each partner's psychological aggression and directly and indirectly decreased each partner's relationship satisfaction. By contrast, females' support from friends directly increased the males' positive behaviors toward their partners. This study demonstrates the importance of including both partners' economic strain, psychological aggression, positive behaviors, and relationship satisfaction in a model of couple response to economic strain. Limitations and implications of this study are discussed.
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    Modeling the Interrelations among Knowledge, Interests, and Learning Strategies in Physical Education
    (2004-08-05) Shen, Bo; Chen, Ang; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    In domain-learning theory, learning in a specific knowledge domain is postulated as a progressive process that is characterized by interactions of knowledge, interests, and learning strategies accrued during each of the acclimation, competency, and proficiency learning stages (Alexander, Jetton, & Kulikowich, 1995). The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelations among prior knowledge, individual and situational interest, and learning strategies and their interactive impact on learning in physical education. The Model of Domain Learning (MDL) was used as the theoretical framework to guide this research. Data were collected from 202 sixth-grade learners from three middle schools and consisted of their individual interest in softball, their knowledge and skill levels in softball, their rating of situational interest in their softball classes, and their self-reported learning strategy use during learning. Learners' physical engagement (recorded in total steps using Yamax Digiwalkers) were measured to represent learning process outcome. Learners' knowledge achievement and individual interest change were assessed using arithmetic difference between pretest and posttest scores of the measures. The data were analyzed using correlation and path modeling analysis. Findings suggest that the learners brought various prior knowledge and skill to the learning process with different individual interest in the content. The learners at the acclimation stage demonstrated fragmented and incoherent interrelations of knowledge, interests, and learning strategies, while those at the competency stage showed a coherent pattern of the interrelations. During learning, situational interest played a role as a primary motivator for the learners at the acclimation stage and facilitated the learners at the competency stage. Knowledge acquisition and individual interest development were found occurring simultaneously as a result of interactions among prior knowledge, individual interest, situational interest, and learning strategies. Results also indicate that situational interest was internalized into individual interest for the learners at the acclimation stage when they were acquiring new knowledge. The findings suggest that the MDL is tenable model to explain the effect of the interactive relationships among knowledge, interests, and learning strategies on learning in physical education.
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    Foster Parenting Stress, Length of Child Time in Foster Care, and Presence of Other Children as Predictors of the Attachment and Behavior Problems of Children in Foster Care
    (2004-07-21) Phillips, Sara Moorhead; Koblinsky, Sally A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study examined three factors that may predict attachment patterns and behavior problems of children in foster care: length of time in a single foster home, presence of biological and/or adopted children in the foster home, and parenting stress. Participants included 50 primarily African American 8 to 12 year old foster children and their foster caregivers. Data were obtained using the Parenting Stress Index, Beech Brook Attachment Disorder Questionnaire, and Child Behavior Checklist. Correlations revealed that high negative attachment and low positive attachment were significantly related to greater behavior problems. Regression analyses revealed that time in a single foster home was a significant predictor of positive attachment, with more time in the current placement related to less positive attachment. Trends further indicated that presence of other children and extended time in a single foster home predicted high negative attachment. Implications of the findings for practitioners and policy makers are discussed.